154 
JOURNAL  OF  RORTIGULIURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  15,  1896. 
-  Mb.  Bareon’s  Eetirement. — In  connection  with  the  retire¬ 
ment  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Barron  from  the  R.H.S.  gardens  at  Chiswick  we 
understand  that  the  Council  has  resolved  to  give  a  retiring  pension  of 
£180  a  year. 
-  We  learn  from  the  “  Journal  of  Botany  ”  that  the  herbarium 
of  the  British  Museum  has  recently  acquired  a  very  fine  collection  of 
Hepaticm,  made  by  Herr  F.  Stephani.  It  numbers  about  10,000  speci¬ 
mens,  and  includes  types  of  1100  new  species,  described  by  Herr  Stephani. 
- The  Manbesa  Vine. — Once  again  it  has  been  my  privilege 
to  inspect  this  noble  Vine  that  has  been  brought  to  such  perfection  by 
the  skill  of  that  genial  gardener,  Mr.  M.  Davis.  For  years  now  this 
Vine  has  been  renowned  throughout  the  entire  kingdom  as  a  wonderful 
example  of  what  skill  in  conjunction  with  perseverance  will  do.  For 
season  after  season  enormous  crops  have  been  borne,  and  this  year  is  no 
exception,  the  bunches  numbering  705,  with  a  total  weight  of  fruit  of 
886  lbs.  Last  year  upwards  of  1300  lbs.  of  Grapes  were  taken  from  it, 
and  the  grower  decided  to  give  it  rest  for  this  year,  and  therefore  took 
the  amount  named,  and  surely  no  one  will  consider  this  a  small  crop  for 
one  Vine  to  carry.  The  berries  were  of  good  size  and  splendidly 
finished,  while  the  leafage  and  wood  are  as  good  as  anyone  could  wish 
for,  and  considerably  better  than  is  often  seen.  Again  I  congratulate 
Mr.  Davis  on  his  splendid  achievement,  and  trust  that  each  succeeding 
year  will  bring  with  it  equal  success.— -H. 
-  The  Vitality  of  Seeds. — M.  Casimir  de  Candolle  contributes 
to  the  “  Archives  des  Sciences  Physiques  et  Naturelles”  an  important 
paper  on  the  latent  life  of  seeds.  From  a  series  of  experiments,  chiefly 
on  seeds  of  Wheat,  Oat,  and  Fennel,  he  concludes  that  dormant  seeds 
pass  through  a  period  of  completely  suspended  animation,  in  which  all 
the  functions  of  the  protoplasm  are  quiescent,  but  from  which  they 
revive  when  again  placed  in  conditions  suitable  for  germination.  The 
immunity  from  injury  appears  to  depend  on  the  protoplasm  of  the  seed 
passing  into  a  completely  inert  state,  in  which  it  is  incapable  of  either 
respiring  or  assimilating,  before  exposure  to  the  unfavourable  conditions. 
The  period  of  suspended  animation  may  extend  over  an  indefinite  time, 
probably  through  a  long  series  of  years,  and  the  seeds  may  daring  this 
period  be  subjected  to  very  low  temperatures  without  destroying  their 
vitality.  Those  above  mentioned  were  exposed,  in  a  refrigerator,  as 
many  as  118  times  in  succession,  to  a  sudden  cooling  to  temperatures 
varying  between  —  30"  and  —  53°  C.,  without  injurious  effects.  On  the 
other  hand,  seeds  of  the  Sensitive  Plant  and  of  Lobelia  erinus  succumbed, 
for  the  most  part,  to  similar  treatment.  These  statements  have  an  im¬ 
portant  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  retention  of  their  vitality  by 
buried  seeds. — (“  Nature.”) 
-  Moeden  Flower  Show. — Having  vegetated  for  two  years  in 
the  local  schoolrooms,  the  Committee  of  this  Society,  situated  in  a  charm¬ 
ing  Surrey  village  near  Wimbledon,  resolved  this  year  to  break  bounds 
and  get  outdoors.  Leave  having  been  obtained  to  use  the  recreation 
ground  for  the  purpose,  a  large  tent  was  erected  and  the  show  held  on 
the  9th  inst.  Most  fortunately  the  day  was  very  fine,  the  attendance 
good,  and  the  exhibits  equally  so,  hence  a  very  successful  result.  For 
this  excellent  beginning  outdoors  much  is  due  to  the  unceasing  industry 
of  Mr.  H.  J.  Bailey  (Chairman),  Mr.  Newcastle  (Secretary),  Messrs. 
Gibson  and  Alderman,  and  other  members  of  the  Committee.  Apart 
from  the  cottagers’  exhibits,  which  were  very  numerous  and  good,  Mr. 
T.  Gibson,  gardener  to  J.  Wormald,  Esq.,  Morden  Park,  furnished  a 
capital  group  of  plants,  including  Fuchsias,  Bouvardias,  and  Achimenes, 
set  in  foliage  plants,  some  fine  Ferns  and  Palms,  and  a  box  of  beau¬ 
tiful  cut  Roses.  Mr.  Alderman,  gardener  to  G.  Hatfield,  Esq.,  had  a 
charming  group  of  foliage  and  flowering  plants  and  a  grand  collection 
of  vegetables,  including  Ellam’s  and  Veitch’s  Early  Cabbages,  large 
Cauliflowers,  Myatt’s  Ashleaf,  Beauty  of  Hebron,  and  other  Potatoes  ; 
Snowball  Cauliflower,  Long  Surrey  and  Veitch’s  Model  Carrots, 
and  Blood  Red  Beet,  all  exciting  the  highest  admiration.  Mr. 
Jones,  gardener  to  the  Rev.  W.  Winlaw,  had  a  capital  basket  of 
vegetables  ;  as  also  had  Mr.  Wickerdon,  gardener  to  Sir  R.  Garth.  Mrs. 
Widdington  sent  a  pretty  group  of  small  plants.  Mr.  E.  F.  Page, 
market  grower,  had  a  good  lot  of  Spined  Cucumbers  and  Perfection 
Tomatoes  ;  Mr.  J.  Lambert,  Merton,  a  fine  show  of  working  bees  and 
honey.  The  chief  cottager  prizetakers  were  Messrs.  Stockbridge  (who 
also  won  the  R.H.S.  bronze  medal  for  garden  produce),  Coomber,  Bason, 
Lemon,  James,  and  Cush.  The  three  former  were  awarded  by  the  Surrey 
Surrey  County  Council  (represented  by  Mr.  A.  Dean)  certificates  of 
merit  for  cottage  gardens  ;  and  Mr.  Clementson  for  a  beautiful  flower 
garden.  After  the  distribution  of  the  prizes  by  Mrs.  Wormald,  in  the 
evening  Mr.  Dean  gave  an  address  ou  horticulture  to  a  large 
assemblage. 
-  Mr.  C.  Foster  Again. — On  page  129  of  our  last  issue  we  had 
the  pleasure  of  briefly  referring  to  this  excellent  gardener’s  success  at 
Aberdare  show,  and  we  now  learn  that  he  competed  on  August  5th  at 
the  Mountain  Ash  show.  On  this  occasion  he  secured  nine  prizes  in  all, 
of  which  seven  were  firsts  and  the  remaining  two  seconds.  This  totals 
up  to  nineteen  prizes  and  a  gold  medal  at  two  exhibitions,  a  record 
worthy  of  the  highest  commendation.  The  estate  on  which  Mr.  C. 
Foster  is  gardener  is  known  as  Aberpergwm,  and  is  the  property  of 
M.  S.  Williams,  Esq. 
-  Cannells’  Star  op  Honour. — At  Sevenoaks  show  a  some¬ 
what  keen  competition  took  place  for  the  star  of  honour  given  by 
Messrs.  H.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley.  The  star  and  handsome  money 
prizes  are  given  as  an  impetus  to  the  successful  following  of  horti¬ 
culture  and  the  growth  of  floriculture,  and  ha.s  in  the  past  given  the 
proprietors  much  satisfaction  in  having  achieved  the  object  desired. 
Mr.  R.  Edwards,  The  Gardens,  Beacbey  Lees,  Otford,  won  this  splendid 
prize.  The  same  firm’s  champion  belt  will  be  competed  for  at  the 
Rodmersham  (near  Sittingbourne)  show,  on  August  28th  and  29th, 
There  are  already  fourteen  entries. 
-  Nymph^a  Laydekeei  rosea.— On  page  122  Mr.  Dunkin 
states  with  regard  to  this  charming  hybrid  that  its  flowers  are  as  large  a» 
those  of  our  native  variety,  N.  alba.  The  blooms  of  the  latter  commonly 
attain  a  diameter  of  6  inches,  and  I  have  seen  several  of  them  as  much 
as  8  inches  across.  I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  seen  N.  Laydekeri  rosea 
as  much  as  3  inches  in  diameter.  I  should  feel  much  obliged  if  Mr. 
Dunkin  would  kindly  state  the  approximate  size  of  his  blooms  of  this 
variety.  I  might  add  that  it  seems  to  be  quite  an  established  fact  that 
all  the  Lilies  which  Monsieur  Marliac  has  sent  out  previous  to  the 
present  season  as  hardy  varieties  are  also  hardy  in  this  country.  At  any 
rate,  they  have  survived  more  than  20°  of  frost,  to  which  they  were 
exposed  last  winter.  Without  exception  they  are  delightful  flower8^ 
showing  their  colours  most  distinctly  at  a  great  distance. — J.  F.  H. 
-  The  Apple  as  a  Timber  Tree. — “  In  some  sections  of  this 
country,”  says  "  Meehans’  Monthly,”  “  the  Apple  tree  is  looked  on  for 
its  product  as  a  piece  of  timber  as  well  as  a  fruit-producing  article.  For 
this  reason  the  old  German  fruit  growers  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia 
always  aimed  to  get  a  straight  trunk  to  an  Apple  tree,  and  train  it  up 
comparatively  high  before  allowing  it  to  form  a  head.  Moderns  have 
supposed  that  the  chief  object  to  be  gained  by  this  method  of  training 
was  in  order  to  facilitate  ploughing  operations,  but  the  ultimate  end  in 
having  a  good  trunk  for  timber  purposes  was  not  forgotten.  In  this 
particular  region  the  wood  was  used  chiefly  for  shoemakers’  lasts — a 
business  which,  in  the  earlier  history  of  Philadelphia,  did  much  to  help 
the  trade  of  that  famous  manufacturing  centre  of  population.  The 
Apple  regions  have  mostly  disappeared  from  that  vicinity,  but  other 
sections  of  the  country  seem  to  understand  the  value  of  Apple  tree 
wood.  It  is  stated  that  a  fruit  grower  of  Cayuga  sold  to  a  well-known 
firm  of  saw  makers  of  Philadelphia  the  trunks  of  some  of  their  trees, 
which  were  cut  away  because  the  trees  had  grown  too  closely  together. 
In  this  case  the  wood  was,  of  course,  used  for  the  handle  of  saws.” 
-  Begonias  at  Chiswick. — Although  there  aie  many  of  the 
ordinary  tuberous  Begonias  in  pots  and  planted  out  at  Chiswick,  yet 
probably  no  one  of  this  beautiful  family  attracts  more  attention  than 
does  the  rich  scarlet  double  Lafayette.  This  may  be  seen  in  beds  that 
margin  the  broad  walks  opposite  the  rockery.  It  is  a  dwarf  kind,  the 
flowers  are  smallish  but  held  almost  erect,  and  constitutes  in  that  way 
most  brilliant  bedding  material.  It  is  there  about  8  inches  in  height.  I 
have  seen  this  charming  variety  in  quantity  at  Mr.  B.  R.  Davis’s  place, 
Yeovil,  where  small  doubles  are  planted  out  largely,  and  there  it  proved 
one  of  ^he  most  effective  massing  Begonias  conceivable.  There  are 
also  at  Chiswick  several  good  forms  of  the  fibrous  rooted  section, 
including  the  dark  leaved  and  flowered  Crimson  Gem,  Afterglow, 
9  inches,  reddish  pink  flowers  very  profusely  borne  ;  Reading  Snow¬ 
flake,  12  inches  in  height,  white  flushed  pink,  very  effective  ;  elegantis- 
sima,  10  inches,  reddish  pink,  very  free  ;  and  gem  of  the  lot  for  dwarf¬ 
ness,  Fairy  Queen,  6  inches  in  height,  spreading,  compact  habit,  flowers 
white,  flushed  pink,  most  profusely  borne,  this  is  a  charming  variety  for 
edging.  A  few  good  bedding  doubles  besides  Lafayette  are  Mauvette, 
inttese  violet  crimson,  12  inches,  most  beautiful  ;  Robin  Adair,  crimson 
scarlet,  a  little  taller ;  Dandy,  much  dwarfer,  rich  crimson,  a  first  rate 
form  for  edging ;  Belladonna,  bright  pink,  10  inches,  a  great  beauty  ; 
and  Grand  Ville,  plants  stout  and  sturdy,  10  inches  in  height,  flowers 
pale  pink.  Those  who  can  secure  tubers  two  years  old  and  will  plant 
12  inches  apart  will  find  these  Begonias  to  be  perfect  summer  bedders. 
—A.  D. 
